Why don't Republicans go after the Atheist vote?

[Brian37]

You and I probably agree politically too on many things. That's the whole point of this thread, I am left without a party, obviously I can't vote for the Democrats because I agree with almost nothing that the party says. However the Republican party is intensely hostile towards Atheists, I would argue more than towards gays. For example John McCain, who is more socially moderate than most Republicans, has said he would "be comfortable with a gay president." How about Atheists? No chance,

" I think the number one issue people should make [in the] selection of the President of the United States is, 'Will this person carry on in the Judeo Christian principled tradition that has made this nation the greatest experiment in the history of mankind?"

This is from one of the less religious Republicans. Romney was far worse on the topic, how can I vote for people who would never vote for me? That's why I remain a conservative, but can not vote Republican.

I would have no problem whatsoever voting for a Conservative atheist for president or any other political office as long as my beliefs were respected, (and I believe a conservative atheist would be tolerant of my beliefs)....I have also seen Republican candidates distance themselves from conservative Christian ministers in their campaigns, such as Romney did with John Hagee...but I still voted for the Republican Mormon candidate because he was the far better option than Barack.

Fuck the word "respect", that is a word used by the insecure bully who doesn't want his ego bruised? Do you "respect" the rights of Muslims to shoot Malala because she challenged social norms?

Human rights are a different subject than the ABILITY to demonstrate the credibility of a claim. I value your freedom to believe, but that does not mean A CLAIM is credible by proxy of the physical ability to utter a sentence. Otherwise by mere proxy of uttering something and marketing it and making it popular WOULD make the sun a god because Egyptians for 3,000 years falsely believed the sun was a god.

I am glad the sexist and bigoted and flat out absurdities of the past were not "respected" and humans cared to value the truth over what made a society "feel good". The earth was NOT flat despite, at one time, most of the world's population falsely thought it was and that the sun rotated around the earth.

Susan B Anthony, "Well behaved women seldom make history". Malala did not respect the sexist Muslims in the Taliban and the world took notice and will burry those pigs eventually.

If our species never questioned social norms our species never would have left the caves. I value your human right and government protection to make your own decisions, but I do not simply swallow a claim because someone thinks it is true.

I value relationships such as family and friends. I value honesty vs placating someone's emotions. I value human rights over "don't offend my religion, or my political party, or my nation."

But "respect" is an insidious word and loaded with insecurity and selfishness. I use the word "value" instead of "respect". I can value your right to make any claim you want, and not agree with it and challenge it and even blaspheme it. I owe you the dignity of not physically harming you because I don't want to be harmed myself. But I do not owe you or even my fellow atheists any loyalty because of one claim.

Just like I love my Catholic mother but don't like her belief that babies are magic and can be born without sperm. Just like you might have friends of other religions and think to yourself "I love them but damn what they believe is bologna."